Electoral Censorship on the Rise (A Clarion Voice Arises in Opposition)

The broadcast airwaves and virtual ether have been filled this week with stories of direct and indirect election interference in the U.S. presidential election by foreign nations, the European Commission and some of its member states, American social media companies, the so-called Mainstream Media, Cyber-Terrorists and even its various political campaigns. What is this all about?

Elections in the long run are all about gathering and practicing governing power. As the process of granting that power rests ultimately on the voting preferences of the legally eligible public, it is important that the broadest possible range of viewpoints be available for consideration.

The Generals Redoubt has a stake in this through its mission of preserving the history, values and traditions of Washington and Lee University and in its co-founding role and active membership in the Alumni Free Speech Alliance (AFSA), a group of approximately 30 liked-minded institutions spread from coast to coast. AFSA stands for the establishment and preservation of Free Speech, Academic Freedom and Viewpoint Diversity. We often use the shorthand phrase Open Discourse to sum up this goal.

Our efforts have been underscored in a significant way recently by the work of Jonathan Turley, who is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University. He is the author of a new book “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.” His views have been positively sharpened by a recent article he prepared dealing with the current election and censorship practices of the Democrat Party. This article is entitled “A Harris-Walz Administration Would Be A Nightmare for Free Speech.” It is available to you through the following link.

We have also linked for your viewing a collection of reviews of Professor Turley’s book furnished to us by his publisher, Simon and Schuster.

We hope you will enjoy reading his article and consider acquiring his book if you have an interest in free speech. We will be on the outlook for other material on this subject that you may find of interest. In the meantime, thank you for your interest in the work of The General Redoubt.

Sincerely yours,

Thomas P. Rideout ’63

The Generals Redoubt, Chairman